The Art Dubai organisers have postponed the 2020 art fair indefinitely. This is the second major art event to be canceled this Winter, alongside Art Basel Hong Kong in February.
The fair organisers released a statement today; “In consideration of the on-going global health implications of the Coronavirus and having consulted with our partners and stakeholders, Art Dubai today announces that the 14th edition of the international art fair, scheduled for 25 – 28th March 2020, will be postponed.
“Given the essential role the fair plays in promoting local and regional artists, we have decided to stage a programme tailored to the local cultural community instead, including existing fair programme contributors and thought-leaders.
The new format is planned to run on the same dates and will present events, exhibitions, talks and strands of the existing Art Dubai programme. These will include local and regional gallery presentations, Global Art Forum, Residents and Campus Art Dubai.
The goals and ambitions for this re-configured programme maintain our objective to deliver commercial, institutional and critical engagement with Dubai’s art ecosystem – a commitment of support to our local community that we felt an imperative to uphold.
Further details of the programme will be announced in due course. With Dubai deploying the strictest medical and hygiene protocols, we will welcome international visitors in March, recommending that individuals follow advice from the authorities of their resident countries.
Lastly, we would also like to express our sincere thanks for all the support and understanding we have received from our partners and friends over the past week. Our thoughts are with everyone globally who has been affected by the virus.”
Art Dubai is one of the world’s leading international art fairs. It reflects the unique qualities of the city it takes place in: future-facing, ambitiously international and culturally vibrant.
Through its concerted commitment to new discoveries, long term education initiatives and thought leadership, Art Dubai has forged a remarkable synthesis of commercial and not-for-profit platforms. A visit to Art Dubai leads to a shift in perception of where the art world is heading in the 21st century, and how art empowers these transformations.
Going into its 14th year with a new directorship structure at the helm, Art Dubai offers a unique art fair proposition of commercial and non-profit cross-disciplinary platforms, and a commitment to cultivating a culture of discovery, education and thought leadership.
With its role cemented as major catalyst in the activation of art and culture from the MENASA region, Art Dubai’s international scope is uniquely positioned to offer exciting new global perspectives and broaden conversations about art from diverse geographies often not exposed to the global art fair landscape.
Featuring four gallery sections (Contemporary, Modern, Bawwaba and Residents), the fair drives meaningful engagement with the rich cultural heritage and contemporary art practices of the region and extending to territories across what is known as “The Global South”, including South East Asia, the African continent, Latin America and Australasia.
In its role as talent incubator, Art Dubai has been the launch pad and development platform of the successful careers of artists, curators and art professionals, and we continue to celebrate art excellence through our extended fair programming, our artist Commissions and initiatives such as the Ithra Art Prize and MMAG Foundation Bawwaba Commission Award, while platforms such as Gulf Now highlight community building and promote grassroots perspectives by showcasing the Gulf’s emerging, independent, self-organised art communities. We also work very closely with our Partners in producing innovative art programming and supporting the cultural community.
Art Dubai’s mission extends to cultivating an ecosystem of not only art, but also education, mentorship and thought leadership, through programmes such as the celebrated transdisciplinary conference The Global Art Forum, Modern Talks, focused on narratives around Modernist Masters from the MENASA, and the unique mentorship platform Campus Art Dubai. Through one-of-a-kind professional platforms such as the International Curators Programme, we aim to foster cross-continental dialogue and exchange, enhancing the international curatorial landscape.
Art Dubai is part of a vibrant and dynamic local art ecology, and operates in close collaboration with institutions that are the heartbeat of artistic production in the UAE, such as the Jameel Art Center, Ishara Foundation, the Sharjah Foundation, Barjeel Art Foundation, Sheikha Salama Foundation, Tashkeel, and NYUAD among others.